The sports wrap, Monday 7 October

France celebrate their victory over Tonga and a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals

England, France qualify for World Cup quarter-finals

England and France both qualified for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with three wins out of three and will play each other next weekend in their final pool match to find out who they play in the last eight. France laboured to victory over Tonga while England looked impressive in their 39-10 win over Argentina. World champions All Blacks still look the team to beat with a 71-9 massacre of Namibia.

In Pool C, France put in a characteristically fitful display – racing into a 17-point lead before being reeled in, then rallying before a late Tonga try set up a frantic finale with less than two minutes to go. Tonga replacement Latiume Fosita slotted the conversion to make it 23-21 but Damian Penaud tapped the kick-off back to a team-mate and France booted into touch to end the game. Meanwhile, England ran in six tries against the 14 men of Argentina to reach the quarter-finals. With Tomas Lavanini sent off early for an illegal tackle on England captain Owen Farrell,

Referee Nigel Owens sends off Argentine player Tomas Lavanini for his foul tackle on Owen Farrell

Eddie Jones’ side cut loose and first-half tries from Jonny May, Elliot Daly and Ben Youngs established a 12-point lead. George Ford, Luke Cowan-Dickie and the returning Jack Nowell added further tries during a more subdued second half in sweltering conditions in the Japanese capital Tokyo.

In Pool B, New Zealand stretched out to a comprehensive 62-point winning margin over lowly Namibia, but only after the underdogs had held them up with a brave first-half display. With 35 minutes gone, Namibia, ranked 23rd in the world, were within one point of the three-time winners. But the All Blacks were in clinical mood in the second half, finishing with 11 tries. New Zealand will top the pool if they beat Italy next weekend. The Italians went down 49-3 to South Africa who are almost certain to qualify for the last eight with the All Blacks. Handre Pollard converted tries from Cheslin Kolbe and Mbongeni Mbonambi, and added a penalty to put the Springboks 17-3 up at the break. After prop Andrew Lovotti was dismissed for a tip tackle, Kolbe crossed for his second score. Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, RG Snyman and Malcolm Marx also went over.

In Pool A, hosts Japan edged closer to a first World Cup quarter-final with a dramatic bonus-point 38-19 victory over Samoa. The sides exchanged three penalties in a nervy start before Samoan-born centre Timothy Lafaele scored the opening try. Kazuki Himeno, Kenki Fukuoka scored after the interval before Kotaro Matsushima sealed the late bonus point, while Henry Taefu scored a consolation. Japan top Pool A with three wins out of three and will qualify if Scotland fail to beat them and Russia in their final two matches. Meanwhile Ireland remained on course to join them after easing to an uninspiring 35-0 win over a toothless Russia in Kobe. Rob Kearney, Peter O’Mahony and Rhys Ruddock scored first-half tries before Andrew Conway secured the bonus point in the 62nd minute.

In Pool D, Australia recovered from defeat by Wales to beat Uruguay 45-10 on Saturday and move top of the pool. First-half sin-bins for Adam Coleman and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto contributed to another sloppy start before Australia hit their straps in Oita. Teenage wing Jordan Petaia was among the scorers with a try on his debut. Dane Haylett-Petty and Tevita Kuridrani also crossed in the first half and Kuridrani added his second after the break to make sure Australia earned a bonus point. Will Genia and James Slipper – who scored his first international try in his 94th Test for Australia – also touched down and Haylett-Petty crossed for his second of the match, before Manuel Diana scored a consolation try for Uruguay. Wales, who are likely to go through with Australia after winning both their first two matches, face Fiji on Wednesday.

Liverpool go eight points clear after Man City lose

Liverpool scored a late winner to beat high-flying Leicester City to go eight points clear at the top of the Premier League after champions Manchester City went down 2-0 at home in a shock defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Arsenal go third after a 1-0 home win over Bournemouth while Chelsea had an impressive 4-1 win at Southampton.

At Anfield, James Milner’s injury-time penalty earned a dramatic 2-1 win over in-form Leicester City and maintained Liverpool’s flawless start to the Premier League season. Brendan Rodgers’ side looked to be on course for a hard-earned point on his return to

James Milner (left) scores Liverpool’s late penalty for their 2-1 win over Leicester City

Anfield after James Maddison’s low finish 10 minutes from time equalised Sadio Mane’s 40th-minute strike. And then, with the clock ticking into stoppage time, a communication breakdown between Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel and substitute Marc Albrighton ended with the latter bringing down Mane. The penalty was awarded after consultation with the video assistant referee (VAR).

At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City suffered a shock 2-0 home defeat against Wolves. Adama Traore scored twice in the final 10 minutes as Wolves won in the top flight at Manchester City for the first time since 1979. Traore scored the first 10 minutes from time as the visitors capitalised on a mistake from Joao Cancelo. He added a second on the break deep into injury time. City have now dropped five points in their opening four home games of the season, having dropped just three in the whole of last season and seven the year before that.

At the Emirates Stadium, David Luiz scored the only goal as Arsenal edged past Bournemouth to move up to third in the Premier League. Luiz glanced home Nicolas Pepe’s ninth-minute corner for his first goal since his summer arrival from Chelsea. Bournemouth improved after the break and went close through Callum Wilson, but they rarely troubled Bernd Leno in the Arsenal goal. The Gunners move above Leicester, Burnley and Crystal Palace with the win, while Bournemouth stay 10th.

In the Scottish Premiership, Rangers leapfrogged champions Celtic at the top of the table as veteran English striker Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick in a dominant win over Hamilton Academical. Steven Gerrard’s men took advantage of Celtic’s shock 2-0 defeat to Livingston earlier in the day to move two points clear going into the international break. Connor Goldson and Borna Barisic also scored in the Ibrox rout. It means Rangers have won their last three league games with an aggregate score of 14-0.

PSG go five points clear at top of Ligue 1

Champions Paris Saint Germain opened up a five-point gap at the top of Ligue 1 with a thumping 4-0 home victory over third-placed Angers. Pablo Sarabia fired the hosts ahead after 13 minutes and Mauro Icardi doubled the advantage before half-time.Idrissa Gueye converted a third for Thomas Tuchel’s side after 59 minutes, before Brazilian star Neymar slotted in his fourth league goal in five matches late on. Nantes moved up to second on the table with a 1-0 home win over Nice while Montpellier are sixth after a 3-1 home win over Monaco.

In the Spanish La Liga, Eden Hazard scored his first Real Madrid goal as Zinedine Zidane’s side survived a Granada fightback to stretch their lead at the top of the table. Hazard, who signed from Chelsea in June, lobbed

Eden Hazard scores his first goal for Real Madrid

Rui Silva at the end of the first half after Karim Benzema’s second-minute opener for the hosts. Luka Modric added an excellent third in the second half, but Darwin Machis and Domingos Duarte responded for Granada. James Rodriguez then scored late in stoppage time to ensure Real’s 4-2 victory. Champions Barcelona moved up to second place after an emphatic 4-0 home defeat of Sevilla.

In the Italian Serie A, champions Juventus ended Inter Milan’s 100 per cent start to the season with a 2-1 victory at the San Siro to take them into first place on the table. Drawing 1-1 at half-time substitute Gonzalo Higuain scored the winning goal in the 80th minute. Paulo Dybala had opened the scoring for Juve in the fourth minute but Lautaro Martinez had pulled Inter level from the spot on 18 minutes. Atalanta are third on the ladder after a 3-1 home win over Lecce.

In the German Bundesliga, champions Bayern Munich suffered their first league defeat of the season, losing 2-1 at home to 1899 Hoffenheim just four days after their 7-2 Champions League win at Tottenham Hotspur. Sargis Adamyan scored twice for Hoffenheim to secure their first league win and first ever at Allianz Arena. Robert Lewandowski had briefly levelled for Bayern with his 15th goal of the season after seven games. Niko Kovac’s side stay top but now only on goal difference from Freiburg, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen. Second-placed Freiburg drew 2-2 at home to Borussia Dortmund while Leipzig and Leverkusen played out a 1-1 draw.

US top athletics medals table in Doha

The United States topped the medals table again at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha with 14 golds, 11 silver and four bronze, wrapping up the final night with victory in both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays. Britain finished sixth with two golds and three silvers – Dina Asher-Smith winning the 200m, coming second in the 100m and second as a member of the 4x100m relay while Katarina Johnson-Thompson won the heptathlon. Kenya were second overall with 11 medals, five gold, two silver and four bronze while Jamaica finished third. France finished 24th with only one silver and one bronze medal. On the last night, American Nia Ali caused a major shock by winning the women’s 100m hurdles final as pre-race favourite Danielle Williams took bronze.

Lyon beat Bordeaux to keep top spot in Top 14

Lyon moved five points clear at the summit of the Top 14 table with a thrilling 25-23 win over second-placed Bordeaux-Begles, while Castres thumped bottom side Stade Francais on Saturday. The leaders maintained their 100 per cent record and consigned Bordeaux to a first defeat after coming from behind in the second half. Tries from Romain Buros and Yann Lesgourgues along with 10 points from Ben Botica’s boot gave Bordeaux a 20-10 half-time lead. Lyon rallied after the interval, Jean-Marcellin Buttin scoring his second try of the match before he was sin-binned and Jean-Marc Doussain touching down, then adding the extras to win it after Bordeaux’s Jean Baptiste Dubie was shown a yellow card. Castres piled more pressure on Stade Francais head coach Heyneke Meyer with a resounding 46-16 victory. There were tries for Thomas Combezou, Jullen Dumora, Geoffrey Palis and Camille Gerondeau as Stade suffered a fifth defeat out of six. Champions Toulouse slumped to a 23-9 defeat at Brive, with Julien Blanc scoring a try in each half. Bayonne are up to third following a 29-27 win at Agen, Peyo Muscarditz claiming a quickfire first-half double, while Clermont Auvergne are just a point behind them in fourth after they were 20-13 winners at home to Montpellier.

Enable denied record third Arc de Triomphe victory

Enable and Frankie Dettori were denied a record third Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as Waldgeist pipped her on the line to win Europe’s richest flat race. Hot favourite Enable, the 2017 and 2018 winner, was a length clear entering the

Pierre-Charles Boudot celebrates his victory in the Arc de Triomphe on Waldgeist

closing stages at Longchamp. But Waldgeist, ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot, was able to give French trainer Andre Fabre a record eighth Arc win. Enable’s trainer John Gosden said the five-year-old’s owner, Saudi prince Khalid Abdullah, will make the decision whether to retire the mare after the defeat. “She ran a brilliant race,” he told ITV. “Frankie went for it but in the last part, with the ground testing her, it is hard to show that explosive turn of foot.” It was just a second defeat for Enable, who was the strong favourite going into the Arc off the back of impressive wins in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and the Yorkshire Oaks at York.

Djokovic wins first Japan Open title

World No.1 Novak Djokovic won his first Japan Open title and the 76th of his career with a dominant 6-3 6-2 win over Australian John Millman in the final in Tokyo on Sunday. It was a triumphant return to the tour for Djokovic, who had withdrawn from the U.S. Open in the fourth round due to a shoulder injury, and it was the 10th time he had won a title on his tournament debut. The top seeded Serb needed

Novak Djokovic wins his first Japan Open title

only 69 minutes to dispatch Millman — who was playing in his maiden ATP 500 final — and the 32-year-old won the title without dropping a set in the tournament. Djokovic won an incredible 87 per cent of his first service points and fired six aces, never giving Millman a whiff of a break point. He also broke the 30-year-old Australian ranked 79 places below him three times in the match. Djokovic has already qualified for next month’s season-ending ATP Finals in London.

Osaka beats Barty to win China Open

Naomi Osaka came from a set down to beat world No.1 Ashleigh Barty in an enthralling China Open final on Sunday. The Japanese world No.4 came through 3-6 6-3 6-2 in almost two hours in Beijing. The win gives Osaka a second title in a row after victory at the Pan Pacific Open in her hometown of Osaka in September. Since losing in the in the last 16 in the US Open, the 21-year-old has won 10 consecutive matches. Australia’s Barty replaced Osaka as world No.1 earlier this year, and between them they have won two of the four Grand Slams in 2019. One break of serve for Barty settled the first set, with Osaka punished for three double faults in the sixth game. But Osaka applied pressure early in the second set and eventually broke serve in the sixth game to level the match. She repeated the feat in the first game of the decider, and did so again to take a 5-2 lead – before sealing victory on her second match point.

India thrash South Africa by 203 runs in first Test

A dominant India won the first Test of their three-match home series against South Africa by 203 runs. Mohammed Shami took five for 35 as the visitors – chasing 395 to win – were bowled out for 191 on the fifth day by the No.1 ranked Test side. South Africa had resumed on 11 for one in Visakhapatnam, but showed little resistance until Senuran Muthusamy and

Mohammed Shami (right) took five wickets for 35 in India’s defeat of India

Dane Piedt came together on 70 for eight. They put on 91 before Shami removed Piedt (56) and Kagiso Rabada (18) to seal India’s win. Piedt hit Ravindra Jadeja for six during his innings, which took the match total to 36 – surpassing the previous Test record of 35 set by Pakistan and New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates in 2014. India batsman Rohit Sharma, who became the first batsman to score two hundreds in his maiden Test as opener, hit 13 of those maximums as he broke the record for the most sixes in a Test by a player. Ravichandran Ashwin took seven wickets in the first innings, but his removal of Theunis de Bruyn – the first dismissal on the final day – was his only one in the second, as fellow spinner Jadeja (4-87) and pace bowler Shami shared the rest.

Rahm retains Spanish Open title with five-shot win

Spain’s Jon Rahm retained his Spanish Open title with a five-shot victory over compatriot Rafa Cabrera Bello. Rahm held a five-shot lead going into Sunday’s finale in Madrid and he eased to the title after carding a five-under-par 66 final round. World number 1,413 Samuel Del Val made it a Spanish one-two-three on 15 under.The win was the 24-year-old world No.5’s fifth on the European Tour and

Jon Rahm retains the Spanish Open title in Madrid

second this year after the Irish Open in July. Victory looked assured from the off as Rahm started his final round with three pars before an eagle three on the par-five fourth, then two more birdies on the front nine. Two further birdies followed on 10 and 14 before a dropped shot on 17 saw him record just his sixth bogey of the week.

Marquez wins sixth MotoGP world title

Marc Marquez has won his sixth MotoGP world title – and his fourth in a row – after victory in Thailand on Sunday. The 26-year-old Honda rider, who was taken to hospital after a crash in practice at Chang circuit in Buriram, sealed his latest crown with four races to spare. The Spaniard had to win at least two points more than closest rival Andrea Dovizioso – and did so as the Italian finished fourth.

Marc Marquez wins his sixth MotoGP title in Thailand

Fabio Quartararo was second on his Yamaha, with Maverick Vinales in third also on a Yamaha. Frenchman Quartararo passed Marquez on the last corner of the the final lap – but Marquez was still able to retake the lead for his 53rd MotoGP race win. “I was planning the weekend to win the race and not think about the championship,” said Marquez. “My target was to find the best way to win the race, and that’s what I did.” The next race will take place in Japan on 20 October.

Salford beat Wigan to reach first Grand Final

Salford Red Devils reached their first Super League Grand Final after upstaging five-time champions Wigan Warriors at the DW Stadium on Friday night. Just 12 months after battling to avoid relegation, the Red Devils won 28-4 to book a meeting with St Helens at Old Trafford on Saturday, 12 October. Ex-Wigan prop Gil Dudson’s try helped put Salford 12-0 up at the break. Another ex-Warriors forward Lee Mossop also touched down to seal a famous win. Former New Zealand and Samoa centre Krisnan Inu crucially contributed 16 points with the boot, with his composure in landing two early penalties setting up the little-fancied Red Devils for one of Super League’s most famous upsets. Dudson’s first-half try and further four-pointers from Joey Lussick and Mossop put the visitors on their way to Old Trafford just after the hour mark, with a Bevan French try for Wigan coming as a late consolation effort. Wigan, aiming to reach a sixth Grand Final in seven years, had been thrashed 40-10 by St Helens in a play-off semi-final a week earlier Errors plagued their game against a slick Salford outfit that also battled resiliently in defence, limiting Wigan – a side that had beaten them in each of their past eight meetings – to just a few fleeting threatening moments.

Languedoc Living's Sports Editor, Reg Gratton, worked as a Reuters correspondent across four continents before moving into management of press operations or editing news services at Olympics, World Cups and Commonwealth Games.

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